


Stainless Ring

by pockybugi



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Angst, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, fluffy fluff with angst, i tried making it as angsty as possible, i was in the mood okay, jaehwan is stupid, jinhwi if you squint, medical student hwang, mentions of members from other groups, minhwan is stupid, minhyun is stupid, music student jaehwan, will add more tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-04-15 01:05:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14148549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pockybugi/pseuds/pockybugi
Summary: Jaehwan wants to marry Minhyun.Minhyun says no.Seongwoo thinks both of them are stupid.





	1. The Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my first ever non-jinhwi fic! I've been having these minhwan feels these past few weeks so I decided to write down everything that i have in mind. lmao
> 
> please enjoy (and be noted that this is unedited) 
> 
> let's scream together on twitter: @official_daehwi

Beads of sweat roll off Jaehwan’s forehead, his left hand instinctively flying to wipe the evidence of anxiety and the slowly building up panic he’s feeling in that moment off him. He’s on his right knee wearing black trousers, dark brown leather shoes he got as a gift for his college graduation from his parents, which was three years ago, and a perfectly ironed plain mint green oxford shirt that was rolled up to his elbows in an attempt to look formal for this special day. He may even look calm and composed on the outside but the truth is, every single nerve in his body is shaking with his lungs constricting with very shallow breath he takes.

The last time Jaehwan felt extremely nervous like he’s going to pass out any minute over something was four years ago, when he was about to open his university website so he could check his final grades and find out if he could graduate on time with his batch mates or not. It was a very crucial time for him because firstly, when he handed his revised senior and composition portfolio for the very last time to his professor, he was told that he might not graduate on time if he keeps on making mistakes in the revision. It wasn’t even his fault that he constantly got so many errors in his portfolio because his professor hated his whole being so making Jaehwan’s life a tad bit harder was on top of his professor’s to-do list.

He somehow wanted to smack his portfolio to his professor’s head but doing that might earn himself another reason not to graduate. And secondly, which was the main reason of his anxiety, was the fact that he barely passed his major subjects during midterms so there was a big possibility that his final grades would drop drastically. He was the type of student who only wished to get passing grades instead of graduating with latin honors.

But even though Jaehwan wasn’t exactly the brightest student in their university, he was still able to pass all his subjects and graduate on time.  _Thank god._

Jaehwan thinks it was one of the worst times of his life—the whole waiting for his grades to come out and actually opening his account game, that is— but when he’s being faced with so much worse than that, he likes to think that what happened in uni was just a trial of what he’s going to experience in the next few years.

And apparently, he’s currently facing what seems to be the thing he’s been so afraid to face since starting to date the person in front of him.

“I’m sorry but…”there is a pause, and Jaehwan feels his throat closing at the moment, _“What?”_

Jaehwan looks up at the question, his hand holding the tiny golden box visibly shaking.

“What do you mean by  _what?_ ” He asks as he lowers his arms that are starting to feel numb from holding it up for a solid 3 minutes, and rests it on his right knee. He trains his eyes on the person in front of him and all he could see on his partner’s face is bewilderment, confusion and discomfort or whatever synonym Jaehwan can think of— but it’s mostly confusion if the wrinkles forming on the latter’s forehead were any indication to that.

“What did you just ask  _me_?” Hwang Minhyun, his partner for almost 6 years, questions like he is trying to make sure he just didn’t mishear Jaehwan.

“I..I asked you if..” Jaehwan trails off as he shifts to his other knee since he’s body is starting to feel like he’s losing all the oxygen and strength left. Now that he’s slowly getting the gist of what’s currently happening inside this run-down Italian restaurant he and Minhyun frequents ever since their college days for their dates, Jaehwan feels the sudden shift of the once romantic mood. He looks up at Minhyun who is trying to motion him to stand up before other people may come in and cause a commotion for witnessing something they aren’t even sure what’s it about.

Clearing his throat and shaking the train of thoughts attempting to make its way at the back of his mind and potentially ruin the remaining good mood he has (if there’s any, that is), he straightens his body and asks once again, “Hwang Minhyun, will you do the honor of marrying and spending the rest of your life with me with our future three kids and two puppies?” Anyone watching Jaehwan, but thank  _god_  no one really is except for the waitress lurking behind the counter for some juicy actions waiting to happen, can see how stiff he is and how his smile looks forced on his tensed features. If he isn’t in this nerve-wracking situation, he would have laughed at himself for being so out of character, most especially for looking like a fucking idiot holding up a tiny box while Minhyun looks like he is trying not to flee from the scene.

“No, I mean yeah, I heard you the first time but,” Minhyun shakes his head as he stares at the ring in front of him, “Jaehwan, are you sure?” Minhyun asks, panic and doubt evident on his soft features.

“Would I be asking you this if I weren’t?” He questions.

“I…I mean, you can’t be serious right now, Jae. I thought we already agreed to steer clear from any marriage talks until you meet my parents?”  _Oh._

 _Oh, right._  Jaehwan looks around and notices the waitress from earlier whipping her head away from their direction right after he looked at her to stare at the tiny ornament on their counter like it is the most interesting thing in the whole world. Jaehwan silently thanks her for being too considerate, for not looking at him like he’s a puppy getting kicked by his owner, and wipes his clammy palms on his trousers.  “Stand up, Jae. We don’t want other people thinking that I just rejected your proposal.”

 _But that’s what you just did, Minhyun._  He wants to say it out loud but he can feel how much Minhyun wants to keep everything silent, and the latter can’t even stop himself from glancing around them to make sure no one really is witnessing the whole  _ordeal_.

Jaehwan follows Minhyun and both of them goes back to sit on their reserved table. The once beautiful golden box with maroon ribbon containing the gold ring he had purchased using the money he borrowed from Seongwoo now looks annoying in his eyes. His legs are shaking under the table, with his fingers pinching it in an attempt to calm down and get a full understanding that Hwang Minhyun rejected his proposal to marry him.

_What else can he say?_

“Jaehwan, I want you to understand that I’m not rejecting your proposal,” Minhyun starts, his hand reaching for Jaehwan’s in front of him. No matter how much Minhyun tightly hold Jaehwan’s hand to give him a slight reassurance that he isn’t leaving in any form, the latter can’t help but feel scared about what’s about to happen.

“Minhyun, you  _rejected_  my proposal. It was clearly a rejection. It’s okay to just say that you’re rejecting me. Even the waitress behind the counter could tell it was one,” he finally looks up and he can notice Minhyun still looking so panicked and uncomfortable. His boyfriend takes a quick glance on the waitress who is now busy mopping the floor, but is still clearly trying to eavesdrop, and sighs.

“No,  _babe_ , listen,” Minhyun started, “I just think that I am not ready, we are  _both_  not ready. We already talked about this and I don’t want to rush things. My parents still haven’t met you yet and I don’t want to send them to the hospital if I suddenly announce my marriage to someone they don’t even know.”

Jaehwan retracts his hand from Minhyun’s tight hold and leans back on his chair. “Then why haven’t you introduced me to your parents yet?”

Jaehwan finally asks the question he’s been dreading to have an answer to ever since their second year of dating, most specifically during their college graduation where it would have been the best timing to inform their families. He had suggested it to Minhyun a day before the ceremony but the latter would always have a reason, and it was his fear of their relationship being dismissed by both of their parents. Jaehwan thought they wouldn’t know that if they wouldn’t try but as per usual, Minhyun was firm with not going with his plans and being the good boyfriend that he is, he followed what his beloved boyfriend wanted and had kept their whole relationship a secret from their families.

It’s not actually a big problem for Jaehwan, but after years of hardships, challenges, and working his ass off until he’s sure he can support himself, Minhyun, and their  _future_ , he now wants reassurance and approval from both of their parents. And most importantly, he wants to go to another level.

He wants to do the tradition of asking for Minhyun’s hands from his parents and making sure that he can provide Mr. and Mrs. Hwang’s son a life of comfort and happiness even though he’s just working as a broker in a company that is almost out of the industry after the bank declared them bankrupt. He wants this heavy feeling inside him to disappear from his system. He wants the insecurity every time he listens to his friends’ stories of meeting their partner’s parents disappear for good.

He wants to officially be happy with Minhyun.

_He wants to marry Minhyun._

“You know  _why_ , Jaehwan.”

“I actually don’t, Minhyun. Please enlighten me.”

“My parents are actually…” Minhyun is finding the right words to say and even Jaehwan can sense his partner’s uneasiness with the topic. Minhyun’s hands are playing with the table napkin, eyes looking at anywhere but Jaehwan. “My...parents can both be very difficult, Jae. And I don’t know...I just—"

“I…I just think now’s not the right time for this, Jaehwan. It’s really isn’t,” Minhyun is clearly having a hard time trying to convey what he wants to say to Jaehwan, about how his parents really is, and the sight has Jaehwan feeling bad about it. His boyfriend clearly doesn’t want to talk about it and seems like he’s putting him in a much stressful situation.

With a sigh, Jaehwan reaches for Minhyun’s hand instead and squeezes it. “It’s…It’s okay, Minhyun. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I won’t force you to do something you’re not comfortable with,” Jaehwan swears he can see the ultimate transformation in Minhyun’s face when he said that.

Even though he wants to know why exactly Minhyun doesn’t want their parents to know about their relationship, the worried look on his boyfriend’s face is enough to soften his heart and forget whatever it is that’s making him uncomfortable himself.

Who cares about what Jaehwan’s feeling if Minhyun’s his only priority? Minhyun’s feelings comes first that’s why he decides to push back the doubts forming in his mind.

“I’m sorry, Jaehwan.”

“It’s okay, babe. And no, I should be the one saying sorry for surprising you with my proposal. I was clearly not thinking.”

“Thank you, Jaehwan. You know that I love you so much, right?”

“Yeah, I do. And I love you too.”

I love you’s have been exchanged for as long as he can remember, but Jaehwan sometimes thinks that actions are needed to reassure him and his feelings.

 

 

Jaehwan looks around the coffee shop and takes a sip of the bland mocha drink his best friend had prepared for him earlier. He kind of feels stupid for drinking a hot drink when it’s scorching hot outside, but since he got it for free, he doesn’t have the right to be choosy at all.

Coming here was what immediately came to his mind after his boss nagged him about not taking enough care of the establishment he left in Jaehwan’s hands.

“How’s the drink?” A voice whispers in his right ear, making Jaehwan jump out of his seat and spill some of the hot contents of the drink into his pants. He then puts down the mug and whips his head behind him to find his best friend snickering at his reaction.

“Do you usually surprise your customers like that?” he asks, pushing the mug at the center of the table, and grabs the folded tissue to pat his pants dry. Thankfully, he is wearing his dark denim jeans so the stain isn’t really that noticeable if you don’t squint hard enough. “You really want me to die from heart attack, don’t you?”

“Why, is it working?” Seongwoo asks, his chin lazily resting on the tip of the mop he’s holding with a clearly mocking look on his face.

“Unfortunately, you have to work harder on that. You can’t easily eliminate Kim Jaehwan in this world.”

“Well, damn. What an unfortunate world,” Seongwoo rolls his eyes and proceeds to mop the floor near the area where Jaehwan is sitting. The latter shakes his head and chuckles before watching his friend do his tasks.

“Move. I won’t be able to clean this area if you’re going to keep your lazy bum planted,” Seongwoo nags and repeatedly hits the mop at the back of Jaehwan’s chair to signify that he wants to clean the area where he’s on.

“Clean when I leave later,” Jaehwan nonchalantly replies before sipping on what remains in his cup. When his friend feels like he isn’t moving sooner, he gives up and goes on to grab a wet rag from behind him and starts wiping the table instead.

“ _Seongwoo-yah_ ,” Jaehwan calls after a solid 30 minutes of just silently sitting on his chair beside the window with the soft squeaking of the surfaces Seongwoo had cleaned up, his chin comfortably resting on his palm.

His friend hums, eyes still not leaving the dustless tables.

“Why are you here wiping tables and cleaning the moldy floor? You already have a stable job so I don’t think you still need to work in this shabby shop.”

“Excuse you, this place isn’t shabby. You just don’t get its rustic concept,” Seongwoo pauses and points the rag he’s holding at Jaehwan’s direction. “And for your information, if it isn’t really that noticeable, I’m still doing this job because it’s what I like and enjoy doing so much,” he smiles, the kind that makes Jaehwan want to smack off his best friend’s annoying face, and resumes wiping the table.

“You could’ve used your free time resting and practicing your cooking skills for Daniel, Seongwoo.”

“My cooking skills can pass up Gordon Ramsay’s standard, thank you very much,” Seongwoo smirks. “And you should be the one practicing your cooking skills, Jaehwan. We don’t want Minhyun to run out of your flat screaming again because you burned the kitchen, do we?”

“That was one time! Jesus, stop being so dramatic. And for the record, I was able to make pasta last night,” Jaehwan rolls his eyes and mumbles the last parts, “…with Minhyun’s help, of course.” He then suddenly feels the wet rag Seongwoo was holding earlier being thrown at his face. He jerks up in surprise and disgust and throws the rag back at him.

“Have you lost your remaining brain cells while spending time with Daniel?”

Seongwoo is quick to dodge the incoming dirty rag and grumbles. “Ugh. Why are you even here? Stop annoying me and go back to Minhyun.”

Jaehwan straightens up and crosses his arms. “Why can’t I visit my best friend? Is this because you’re a happily married man now? And that you’re finally Daniel’s husband? Did Daniel tell you to stop hanging out with me? Well, tell Daniel that he ain’t shit,” Jaehwan feigns a hurt expression with Seongwoo ready to launch his rag again to his face. Thankfully though, no one’s practically inside the café as it’s still 1PM, the time when the café’s basically not very busy, so they aren’t making that much disturbance.

“Daniel is  _the_  shit. And close that mouth and start paying for the drinks if you’re planning to hang around here everyday  _and_  insult my husband.”

“I’m not wasting my money on drinks that tastes like it was used to clean paint brushes.”

“You better thank me I didn’t put poison in your drink,” Seongwoo rolls his eyes once again, returns to the counter and proceeds to make a drink again, probably for himself or whatnot. After making the drink he then comes back to where Jaehwan is sitting and sets the mug on the table with a small smile. “Another mug of diabetes for my best friend. The drink’s on me so don’t sweat that much.”

“I just finished your mocha drink.”

“You know, I would’ve offered you gin but we obviously don’t have that here so I’m offering you our special hot choco. You clearly needed that one,” Seongwoo shrugs and goes to the counter again to arrange the ornaments.

Jaehwan pauses and stares at the mug in front of him, his head automatically cooing at Seongwoo’s sweet gesture. He hasn’t even said anything but his friend already knows that something’s up.

He sends a thankful smile to Seongwoo from across the room before taking a sip. It’s kind of refreshing for him to spend time like this with someone who can understand him without even saying a word after weeks of continuous stressful events, like how they usually were years ago. And even though Seongwoo can sometimes be a huge pain in the ass, he’s thankful that he had decided to come here to have fun and hang out with his best friend after his shift at a PC bang in Gwanak-gu instead of heading straight to where the cold flat he’s sharing with Minhyun is waiting.

Seongwoo glances at Jaehwan from his spot near the counter for a few seconds before slowly realizing that something really feels  _off,_ the type that doesn’t come that often, Seongwoo thinks. He feels like it isn’t the usual bad day in his work kind of  _off_ , but it’s definitely something that has been bothering Jaehwan for quite a while now. He has noticed it half an hour ago when Jaehwan silently entered the shop, a sullen look present on his usually cheeky face, when he usually barges in with his big mouth running like a faucet and voice so loud it could be heard from the next building.  Seongwoo couldn’t quite pinpoint what it is, but his gut feeling is telling him that what Jaehwan is showing in front of him is a mask to hide something he doesn’t want anyone to know.

Even though Seongwoo can now notice how hard Jaehwan tries to keep his usual demeanor, he decides to play along for a while because he’s afraid that asking his friend about something he’s dreading to know since last week will break the latter. With a sigh, not taking his friend’s unusual behavior anymore, he holds the displayed small basket from the counter and jokingly says, “Yah! What’s with the sullen look? Who’s been giving you a hard time these past few days, huh? Is it that shitty owner of that PC bang you’re working at?”

Jaehwan shakes his head, “He can be the worst owner sometimes but no, he’s miraculously being considerate about me these past few days.”

Seongwoo sighs. “Then, what’s wrong? You want to talk about, Jaehwanie?” Jaehwan can hear the sincerity in Sengwoo’s voice but he honestly doesn’t know if he wants his friend to know about the dilemma he’s facing right now with his boyfriend. He knows that Seongwoo himself is experiencing some difficulties with his own life, especially now that he just got married with his high school sweetheart and top model, Kang Daniel, so he doesn’t want to stress his friend any further and chooses to solve it by himself for as long as he can take.

Many thoughts are actually running inside Jaehwan’s head, and even if he really wanted to share what it is, he just can’t because he doesn’t even know how to properly organize them or where to start, making him frustrated at these things and at himself. He feels like he’s constantly floating in the air with no particular direction in mind. He’s there in the moment, physically that is, laughing and  _trying_ to have fun with the people around him, but his mind will always go back to what happened last week, to Minhyun, and what it made him feel.

He really tries to understand Minhyun, and their whole relationship, but no matter how hard he tries to do so, he just can’t.

_He really just can’t._

And he’s not liking the sudden change of mood between him and Seongwoo.

“I’ll tell you when I’m ready, Seongwoo.” His friend hums a reply and nods his head, before playfully smacking his shoulders with a playful smile.

“Okay, if that’s what you want,” Jaehwan slowly nods before looking up to Seongwoo, ”And please stop looking so sullen there like someone just killed your cat. It’s a bright day out there so open your damn mouth and make some annoying noise to alert the neighboring buildings,” Seongwoo waves his arms around to make a point and urges Jaehwan to stand up and shake off the train of thoughts in his head. There is a stupid smile on Seongwoo’s face which automatically makes Jaehwan smile himself.

Jaehwan knows that Seongwoo noticed something but he’s glad his best friend decides not to push the thought.

Seongwoo, after all, is the best friend Jaehwan could ever ask for.

“Okay, if that’s what you want. Prepare to get a lot of complaints today,” he says before chuckling with that playful look on his face.

 

 

Jaehwan knows when Minhyun is having a bad day at work. He would spend the remaining night sulking on their bed with a hot mug of chocolate drink with marshmallow, read his frustration away with a good poetry book, pout and ask, or  _demand_ , for Jaehwan’s affection every single second, or sometimes cling onto Jaehwan like his life depended on it so he could take his mind off the things that’s bothering him.

He is quick to notice that Minhyun seems to be in a very unpleasant mood since the time his boyfriend came home, which was two hours ago, because he’s trailing behind Jaehwan every where he goes with his fingers holding onto Jaehwan’s shirt. He notices Minhyun following him to the kitchen when he’s making himself a drink, or even to the bathroom for some instance.

“Minhyun, you can wait for me outside. I’m trying to wash up here, okay?” he asks but his boyfriend only tilts his head to the right, a slight pout present on his face, which results to a somewhat failed  _aegyo_  because the latter only looks like a kicked puppy.

“I can wait for you here, Jaehwanie,” Minhyun smiles and sits on the counter instead so he can have the perfect view of  _his_  Jaehwan preparing for bed. Jaehwan eyes him weirdly as he takes the towel behind him and starts taking off his shirt.

“I’m undressing right now.”

“Your point is?”

“Go out.”

Minhyun snorts. “So what? It’s not like I haven’t seen everything, Jae.”

Jaehwan groans and hides the blush creeping on his face from Minhyun who is playfully wiggling his eyebrows. But it’s not like Minhyun will listen to him, so he continues to strip down until he’s only in his boxers.

“You’re going shower with boxers on?”

“Shut up. Stop teasing me,” Jaehwan pouts before getting inside, takes off the remaining clothing article, and lets the water run down his body.

“I can’t see you clearly from here,” Jaehwan could hear him pout.

“Stop it. You would look like a creep watching me wash up,” Jaehwan says as he lathers the facewash on his hands and peeks at Minhyun through the door left ajar.

“It’s fun to watch you though.”

“Hmm…okay, keep being a creep then.”

“Does my presence really bother you that much? I’ve done this for a lot of times already,” Minhyun tilts his head again.

“No, it’s just that…” Jaehwan pauses, train of thoughts running through his. “It’s already been a very long time since we’ve actually spent our night together like this. You sometimes go home at 1AM from your shift, and I just started my evening shift couple of months ago. I just…find it weird and refreshing at the same time, you know?”

Jaehwan, being a broker for a company that is in the brink of bankruptcy, started looking for a job that can still support him and Minhyun’s everyday needs a couple of weeks ago. And apparently, the only job he can find in that moment is in a PC Bang in Gwanak-gu. He caters everything the patrons need while they’re on their mission to complete their online game’s tasks; from cleaning the whole area and the hallway, delivering cooked ramens and snacks to the patron’s personal computer space, to listening to the curse words that get thrown every minute when they fail their mission or when their character dies.

He’s clearly not proud of the job that he has, especially since he graduated with a degree in music, but he’s doesn’t have that much of a choice since the industry that he was majoring in is a lot more difficult to enter than what he had ever imagined. It wasn’t easy to compete in this type of industry when there are other people out there who are younger and much better, in every aspect he can think of, than him.

It’s not that he didn’t try to compete. He did try for a couple of times already, but it always seems like his credentials and skills aren’t enough to get him the job that he truly wants. He wanted to become a singer-songwriter and composer in a known entertainment company but looking at chances that he has, he lowered his standards and decided to start in a small company but then again, even those types of companies aren’t willing to give Jaehwan a chance to show them what he really has in store.

He does think that he’s still lacking, and that there’s always room for improvement, but since he’s getting older and that there are more fresh graduates trying the same job that he’s planning to get, he thinks that he really should just start looking for another stable job that could help him and Minhyun save money for their future. Even though he didn’t have an idea what a broker does, or how they do their job, he was so eager to learn all about it that he was quick to adapt to the job and work in a field he didn’t major in, in college.

That’s reality for people like him, and he’s fully embracing it.

Minhyun on the other hand works as a resident in their university hospital’s general surgery department. Minhyun earns enough money to supply their needs and wants, but Jaehwan doesn’t want to let Minhyun do all the earning part and get dubbed as the one leeching off Minhyun’s wealth. And since he was the one who asked him to be his partner in the first place (and asked him to marry him too), he thinks it’s best if he’s the one providing themselves the life and comfort they’ve been dreaming of.

Jaehwan wants to be that kind of partner that can reassure Minhyun that he’s going to have a comfortable life with him. He wants to be that of kind of partner who Minhyun could always depend on when the going gets tough.

Jaehwan wants to prove to everyone, but mostly to himself, that Minhyun really did the right thing of choosing him out of all his admirers.

“I know, that’s why I’m here right now because I miss this. I miss  _us_ ,” Minhyun looks down to his hands playing at the hem of his own shirt, legs dangling off the counter with his lips quirking up to form a somewhat almost non-existent, sentimental smile on his face.

Jaehwan on the other hand, who is now fully dressed after the quickest shower he’s ever gotten, let out a sigh in relief at the thought that he’s not the only one feeling sentimental at their usual thing. And that he was not the only one missing the simple things they’ve done since forever.

Minhyun gets off the counter to stand tall in front of Jaehwan, the towel laying on the other side of the counter now in his hands to pat the latter’s face dry. Jaehwan’s heart swells at how domestic everything seems to be, and how close Minhyun’s face is as he continues to wipe his face and hair with a captivating smile he hasn’t seen up close for a long time.

“I miss you, Jaehwanie,” Jaehwan’s heart swells at that.

Jaehwan hums in reply as Minhyun places the towel on top of his head, and squished his cheeks with both of his hands, making his pink lips pout.

“What, are you just going to stare at me like that?” Jaehwan asks, his cheeks still squished between Minhyun’s palms.

“Hmm. I’ll wait for you outside,” Minhyun says with a smile before kissing Jaehwan’s nose and lips,  _oh god,_  and exiting the bathroom to wait for him and cuddle to sleep. Poor Jaehwan is just about to have a mental breakdown at whatever Minhyun’s been doing to him since two hours ago.

He has never thought that these gushy feelings he had experience back when he was in college would hit him like  _this_  again, but much stronger than ever, like he’s the young Kim Jaehwan all over again who would succumb to anything Hwang Minhyun does. Five years in, and he’s still holding his chest tight and pursing his lips into a tight line to stop himself from screaming all the words of affection he has in store for Minhyun.

His boyfriend is feeling extra gushy and sweet right now but he’s definitely not complaining.

“Dammit, I’m still not immune to Minhyun’s charms,” he whispers and finishes up.

Jaehwan gets out of the bathroom and sees Minhyun patting the space beside him on the bed, their favourite chocolate drink with marshmallows and a tv drama present for their mini relaxation night. He is quick to crawl into the bed beside his boyfriend and the both of them cuddle, Minhyun’s head comfortably laying on his chest and listening to every irregular beating of his heart. A classic romantic drama was on, but Jaehwan can’t really focus that much since he’s in his own world relieving every moment, his heavy heart now feeling better after all the emotional exhaustion he has felt because of the same person last week now that he has Minhyun in his arms.

“Jaehwan?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry,” Minhyun tightens his hold around Jaehwan’s torso. “I’m sorry for last week, Jaehwanie. I was just not sure about myself, and I was afraid of the future and what other will say—“ Jaehwan reached for Minhyun’s head and softly runs his fingers through the latter’s hair to give him a reassurance that he shouldn’t stress that much about it since he knows that Minhyun’s currently having a bad time because of work.

 And that everything’s okay, even if Jaehwan isn’t completely feeling the same in that aspect.

“It’s okay. I understand. It was my fault for not considering your feelings, Minhyun. I just got too emotional, and maybe a bit pressured now that all my friends are married already,” he chuckled in an attempt to keep the mood from turning sour. He already has the type of night he’s always wanted and spoiling the moment, or especially talking about his failed proposal and concerns, might not be the right thing to do. “But it’s okay. I’m okay. Take your time, because your happiness is what’s more important here.”

“But Jae—“

“Shh. You’re missing the best part,” Jaehwan buries Minhyun’s head closer to his chest and points at the almost forgotten drama playing in front of them. No matter how much he wants to know the exact reason on why Minhyun seems to be against the idea of them moving to another level, he thinks that he should just focus on the present and making sure to build a stronger base so that moving to the marriage level would be easy for them the next time.

Minhyun thankfully keeps the silence hanging around them, the type that keeps both of them comfortable and just cuddle like nothing unpleasant has happened to them. Both of them would comment about the details of the movie, like why the character was so stupid for falling for the trap the second time, and playing with each other’s hand until they find themselves intertwining theirs for the rest of the drama. But even though the comfortable silence is sitting through them, Jaehwan could still feel Minhyun slightly fidgeting and nervously tapping his fingers against his chest, a habit the latter has developed whenever he has something bothering him.

“How’s work? You don’t seem to enjoy your shift tonight,” Jaehwan questions.

“Oh, that,” Minhyun pauses, “I just had Dr. Yoon up my ass because I got the details of my patient wrong. Got an earful but it wasn’t that bad.”

“Dr. Yoon?”

“Remember Yoon Jisung? The senior who recruited me back in college in his team? I’m now working with him since he just got assigned in SNU Hospital coupe of weeks ago.”

“Yeah, I remember. I really hope he’s not that much of an asshole to you because you know, I could put my hapkido skills to good use,” Jaehwan glances down with a chuckle.

“Non-existent hapkido skills, you mean?” Minhyun teases in which Jaehwan only playfully pinches his boyfriend’s cheeks as a reply.  “By the way, how’s Seongwoo and Daniel’s marriage life?” Minhyun starts.

“They’re fine. Perfect actually. Spent the first few days fighting over who should wash the dishes and take out the trash but they said everything else is perfect,” Jaehwan chuckles at how Seongwoo basically complained about how hard it was for him to wake Daniel up so he ends up making breakfast and taking out the trash every morning, but nevertheless ends the conversation acting like a mushy teenager spilling to his best friend about how much he loves this certain Kang Daniel. Jaehwan also spent a generous amount of time rolling his eyes and laughing at Seongwoo’s expense but in the end, he admires how perfect Seongwoo and Daniel are for each other.

“Well, as expected from Seongwoo. But we know he tends to exaggerate things so I hope he isn’t giving Daniel that much headache,” Minhyun laughs.

“True. I just hope we don’t end up fighting everyday when we get married too. And I hope you know that I also clean up after my mess,” Jaehwan laughs too. When he feels Minhyun tense up on his chest, he cleared his throat and mentally smack his head for carelessly bringing up the marriage issue yet again— the very reason why they both feel uncomfortable with each other for the past few days.

“Oh, sorry ‘bout that.”

“No, it’s okay. Now that you brought that up, I wanted to say something to you,” Minhyun sits up and scratches the back of his neck. Jaehwan follows suit and leans on the headboard to watch his boyfriend grow more anxious with every second that pass by. “It’s about my parents, Jae.”

“Yeah, what about them?”

“I’ve been..” Minhyun sighs, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, and I’m still not entirely sure about this but then again, how will I know if I don’t do this, right?”

Jaehwan only eyes Minhyun who is now looking at his own hands.

“My parents have been pestering me about my love life so they wanted to invite me over for dinner this coming Saturday and I’ve been thinking of finally introducing you for these past days. So when they asked me for an update yesterday, I agreed and said that I’m coming with someone,” Minhyun has a small, nervous smile playing on his soft features and even though it may seem like a simple thing for others, Jaehwan can practically hear the heaves open up with their choir singing a song of joy because finally,  _finally_  he’s going to be introduced to Minhyun’s parents after being together for five years.

“We’re meeting my parents this Saturday, Jae,” Minhyun says one more time when Jaehwan seems to look like a statue just staring with a shocked look in front of him.

“Is  _this_  why you seem to be in quite an unpleasant mood earlier?”

“Eh, not really unpleasant. The thought just had me extremely nervous. I just thought that, it’s probably the right time for me to finally introduce you to them,” all Jaehwan could do is stare at Minhyun with probably a stupid yet constipated-looking smile on his face.

He only saw what Minhyun’s parents look like through photos and now, he’s really going to meet them this Saturday.

“Are you…okay with that, Jaehwan?”

Jaehwan grabs Minhyun by the arm and engulfs him in a tight hug where he shows him how he’s feeling because words aren’t enough to express how happy he is right now. “Minhyun, you seriously don’t have to ask me that because my answer will always be yes. And you know that.”

Jaehwan can feel his chest burst with happiness at the thought that Minhyun’s going to finally and officially take the next step into their relationship.

He thinks that taking these small steps is much better than taking nothing at all.

_Jaehwan is finally going to meet Minhyun’s parents._


	2. The Med Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehwan and Minhyun's first meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter focuses on how Jaehwan and Minhyun first met in uni. This is supposed to let you know how the both of them are in school, and it also introduces the significant people in their lives. I hope you enjoy reading it! Have fun!

_**6 years ago, SNU, 7:46 AM** _

 

"Jaehwanie!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Kim Jaehwan!"  
  
"What?!" Jaehwan pauses from reading his notes, his body stilling on the bed in an attempt to hear what Seongwoo, his best friend, has been shouting about outside his own room. When he didn’t hear a reply, he kicks the pillow resting near his feet in annoyance and quickly slides his body off his bed. He slips on some discarded black cardigan and sweatpants on the floor before heading to where his best friend is typing away in his laptop.  
  
"Kim Jaehwan!"  
  
"What do you fucking want, you stupid Ong Seongwoo?! Dammit!" Jaehwan grumbles when he sees Seongwoo comfortably sitting on one of the stool on the kitchen counter with a smile that resembles something like he has acquired a secret treasure box. Jaehwan normally gets scared when Seongwoo has that kind of smile because he knows what his best friend is capable of doing but unfortunately for Seongwoo, Jaehwan isn’t really in the mood for any of that. When you have three major exams to worry about and a composition to finish within a week, you wouldn't have the slightest bit of time to actually care about what your usually mischievous friend is up to.   
  
"Hello to you too," Seongwoo greets, his eyes still not leaving the revised notes and screen in front of him, his creepy smile still present on his creepy face.   
  
"I said what do you want? It better be something worth my time because you interrupted my once in a blue moon study session!" Jaehwan trudges to the refrigerator and drinks the orange juice directly from its huge container.    
  
"At least greet me?"  
  
He grabs a stool and situated himself in front of Seongwoo and his mess, his bottle of orange juice in front him. He rests his elbows on the table and yawns. “No.”

  
"Hmm, but I'm sure you're going to love what I'm going to give you," With a final harsh click on the keyboard, probably to save his mess of an essay (not that Jaehwan really cares), Seongwoo finally looks at him, his eyebrows wriggling to tease the latter.  
  
"Hurry up, I don’t have much time for your nonsense _." And drama._  
  
"Fine, be that way. It's not like Mr. Hwang _angel-sent-from-above_ Minhyun's contact number is important to you because-- Ow! Do you tackle people like that in your free time," Jaehwan is quick to launch himself into Seongwoo's direction when the latter waved a small piece of paper with a phone number written on it. Jaehwan's been joking (not really) about how much he really wants to have Hwang Minhyun's number so he could up his game. He had told Seongwoo to ask Sungwoon to ask any of Minhyun's friends about it because Jaehwan is too much of a coward to do it himself.   
  
It's not like he's really going to text Minhyun and make himself look like a creep for suddenly popping into his inbox but at least he now has his number.   
  
Seongwoo is busy hissing and rubbing the sore part of his arm from when Jaehwan jumped on him. Jaehwan then goes back to his stool with a fascinating look on his face. "Holy cheeseballs, how'd you get his number? Did you harass anyone?"  
  
His friend dramatically rolls his eyes. "Jeez, you could've thanked me for that. It wasn't easy to get Mr. Hwang Minhyun's number, you know?" Seongwoo turns off his laptop and closes his notes with a huff. "When you're in this kind of crisis, Sungwoon is always the answer. I bribed him into giving me that golden number with a case of beer, if you're interested to know."  
  
"Not even slightly interested," Jaehwan countered, still eyeing the piece of torn paper in his hands.   
  
"You could've pretended to, you asshole."  
  
"Nope, I don't have much free time for that," Jaehwan muses and feels a crumpled paper being thrown in his direction by Seongwoo. Written on the paper clearly torn from someone's notebook is his crush's number in sloppy handwriting. It even has a _"call me xoxoxo ;)"_ written on it which clearly isn't from Minhyun.   
  
Hwang Minhyun, a sophomore from the Department of Medicine, isn’t like any ordinary student Jaehwan has ever met in his life. He is one of the most popular students alongside famous names in different varsity teams, as well as some celebrities who are currently studying in SNU. Despite being a total anti of any sports team, since he can’t do sports even if his life depended on it, Minhyun’s still able to get on the same level as the other famous students’ level by catching their attention through his own skills and capabilities. _And visuals too._  
  
Minhyun was once awarded as one of the Most Outstanding Students through all the students' votes and their Student Affairs Council's careful deliberation. He is a very excellent student that some of his professors even asks for his help in class or their university clinic whenever the latter is busy doing something else that demands their full time and attention like emergency meetings or matters that should only be attended in the university’s hospital.   
  
Aside from his extraordinary performance in academics, Minhyun is also blessed with visuals that has everyone, most especially Jaehwan, falling for him in an instant. _Who could even resist someone as close to perfection as Hwang Minhyun?_ _  
_  
Jaehwan sighs and look at the paper in his hand again. It may be nothing special for other people, but when you have a massive crush on the owner of that number since freshman year, you'd also have this feeling of stopping the urge to scream in delight since it isn't everyday you get to have your crush's number--even though you got it in another means like bribing someone with a case of beer.  
  
Jaehwan contemplates on whether texting Minhyun and introducing himself to the latter will be a great idea, but when he remembers what he heard from the two girls gossiping behind him in the libabry last month that Minhyun only gives out his phone number to people he personally knows, he chickens out from the thought and the excitement he was feeling earlier subsides.   
  
That only means that you'd have to be close to Minhyun first, or at least know him personally, before you'd get to have his number, like a freebie for exclusive members of a fine and expensive club, and messaging him out of nowhere will only let Minhyun see him as a creep.   
  
_We don't want that, now, Jaehwan?_  He thinks.   
  
Seongwoo waves his hand in front of Jaehwan's face. "So are you going to talk to me or just stare at the paper?"   
  
Jaehwan shakes his head in an attempt to clear his mind, particularly the impossible thought of him texting Minhyun first. "I….ah, seriously, what am I thinking? How can I contact and approach him when I couldn't ask for an extra ketchup in the caferia?" He puts down the paper on the table.   
  
Seongwoo nods his head in agreement. "Fair point. But I had a very hard time getting that so I better see you holding Hwang’s hand in two week.”

“Let’s be realistic, Ong. I would never be able to do that.”

“ _Bitch_ , you won’t know until you try! You have to grow some balls and make a move before somebody else will."  
  
Jaehwan’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. "What do you mean? Do you know someone who's already eyeing Minhyun?"  
  
Seongwoo shrugs. "None that I know of, but you know how popular Minhyun is. Just one breath from him and people would be lying in the floor trying to calm their hearts down."  
  
"Exaggerated but okay," Jaehwan stands up to stretch and yawn, and snakes his hand under his shirt to scratch his belly.   
  
"Shut the fuck up. You were literally like that last night. You were screaming your head off when he went out take photos of the chess tournament and jesus, you nearly cut my arm off when he glanced your way!" Seongwoo feels like throwing his laptop to his loser of a best friend for trying to act like he did’t do something so scandalous last night.  
  
Seongwoo hopes he’s exaggerating but apparently, what he said was true since Jaehwan did not only scream his lungs off to cheer for Minhyun who  _wasn’t_  even part of the event, he also made a huge scene by disturbing the game in front of him and startling everybody. “I mean, who the fuck screams in a chess tournament?”  
  
_Me, apparently._ Jaehwan thinks.  
  
Jaehwan whistles in an attempt to act like he didn’t do such scandal last night (but he did, really) and shrugs while looking at Seongwoo like he’s gone mad. "What are you talking about? I don't even remember attending an event last night."   
  
Seongwoo stands up and heads to the sink to put his used glass. "You were supposed to cheer for our team but you were fucking screaming his name like he was the one playing," Seongwoo spits. "So please exclude me when you're trying to embarrass yourself next time."  
  
"We're best friends, Ongie. We're all in this together," As if it isn’t cheesy enough for his best friend, Jaehwan goes as far as dancing the famous choreography of where his last sentence comes from. Seongwoo can only grab the wet rag on the sink and throw it on Jaehwan’s way who is still dancing (and screaming) the wrong lyrics of the song.  
  
Jaewhan snatches Minhyun’s paper from the table and runs to his room before Seongwoo can throw the whole sink at him.  
  
_I really do need to step up my game,_ Jaehwan thinks before grabbing his phone.  
  
 

  
  
Two days laters and Jaehwan still hasn’t contacted and introduced himself to MInhyun. His friends have been telling him to stop being a pussy but surprisingly, he got caught up with more assignments, compositions, and projects he shouldn’t neglect.  
  
He buries his phone inside his bag as he and Seongwoo heads to the school cafeteria to meet their other friend, Bae Jinyoung, who is a freshman from Seongwoo’s department.  
  
"Hello, Jinyoungie. What’s my favourite poliwag doing?" Jaehwan greets, swinging his bag on the other side of the table and sits right across Jinyoung.   
  
"About to stab your eye with a straw if you keep on calling me that," Jinyoung nonchalantly replies, stabbing the banana on his plate with much force for emphasis.   
  
"Please don't stop yourself, Jinyoung. I'd love to see that view," Seongwoo smiles, sitting next to the youngest and grabs the burger his boyfriend, Daniel, packed for him before leaving.   
  
"Can you stop teaching Jinyoung violence? Be a good role model to your  _hoobae_  at least!" Jaehwan reprimands as he watches the two eat in front of him. Right after his class ended, Sewoon, one of his classmates, asked for his help in one of their assignments and in return forgot to buy himself lunch. He still has a couple of minutes to buy at least a sandwich but he’d rather starve to death than buy anything from their cafeteria because according to him, they only sell low quality food that are almost on their expiry date.   
  
"It's good to know that you haven't lost your voice after intensely screaming Hwang Minhyun _sunbaenim's_ name, hyung," Jaehwan snaps out of his train of thoughts when he hears the youngest talk. He has the urge to smack Jinyoung’s face for reminding him that, especially when the latter has that annoying smirk on his face but stuffing his mouth with fries.   
  
"Even I'm surprised about that. If you were with us, you could've sworn he was using a megaphone because he was  _that_  loud," Seongwoo interjects before taking a huge bite of his burger. “The organizers almost kicked us out if it weren’t for Sungwoon hyung who was with Minhyun’s team.”  
  
“Minhyun _sunbaenim’s_ team?” Jinyoung asks.  
  
“He’s part of the uni’s official newspaper club, remember?”  
  
“Oh, yeah,” the youngest replies. "Almost forgot that he's Jaehwan hyung's oh-so-perfect photo journalist crush from Invictus. I mean, hyung, he's out of anyone's league. He's heaven, we're hell-" Seongwoo knocks some sense out of Jinyoung's small head for such exaggeration by softly smacking the back of his head. "I mean, yeah, how about that Sewoon guy from your class? You're good enough for him, I guess. And there's Hyunbin sunbaenim too..?"  
  
"Jinyoung, how about you shut your mouth up and finish your food?"   
  
"And oh yeah, how did Minhyun sunbaenim react after Jaehwan screamed his name?" Jinyoung asks Seongwoo.   
  
"Oh dear, Jinyoungie. You don't want to hear it! Minhyun looked so scarred. I mean, who doesn't when it's Jaehwan shouting bloody murder?"   
  
Right when Jaehwan is about to defend himself that no, he wasn’t that scandalous last night like what Seongwoo tries to say, he hears a soft _ding_ sound from the youngest's phone and notices the playful look on his change into a small, soft smile after looking at the notification of his phone.  
  
Jinyoung really looks weird that Seongwoo even stops from eating to stare at the latter.   
  
"Daehwi?" Jaehwan says (secretly thankful that he has the chance to change the topic) and Jinyoung almost chokes. "You're smiling on your phone so I assumed you're talking to Daehwi."  
  
"Ah, hyung please. It's..it's not like that," Jaehwan rolls his eyes. He can’t believe that the person who threatened to stab his eye out for calling him poliwag now looks like a shy lovesick puppy when the name this boy he’s been hanging out with since last month is mentioned.   
  
"Wow, Jinyoung really is blushing. If I didn't know better, I would have thought it wasn't you who threatened to stab my eye out with a fork," Jaehwan laughs. Jinyoung groans in embarrassment before probably typing in a reply and shoving his phone in his bag.   
  
"How's Daehwi? Is he treating you right?" Seongwoo questions.   
  
"Perfect. Everything about him and whatever we have right now is perfect."   
  
"That's it? Perfect?"   
  
"Why, is there a word much stronger than perfect?"   
  
Jaehwan dramatically slams the table, a look that greatly resembles pain (or is it regret? Jaehwan is a pretty shitty actor) adoring his face with Seongwoo trying to look like someone stole his homework, mouth wide open with his right hand trying to cover it. The two looked at each other before sighing a soft " _aigoo_ ".   
  
"Oh dear heavens, you caught the disease. Good luck on your journey, young lad. We hope to see you succeed on the path you've taken," Jaehwan reaches out to tap the youngest's arm.  
  
"Stop, you're just like that because you haven't met yours yet,” Jinyoung rolls his eyes.  
  
Jaehwan leans back. "Now, kid, let's not make it personal, okay? Let's refrain from talking about your hyungs' non-existent love life."  
  
"Oh, so you do admit that there's no chance for you to contact and make a move on Minhyun?" Jinyoung spits and Seongwoo snorts from the counter.   
  
_My friends will forever mock me for being a scaredy cat when it comes to Minhyun. This will never end.  
_  
Instead of going into another stupid banter with his friends, he chooses to divert the topic and says, "Actually, let's not talk about that. Let's talk about something else, like this untouched moldy looking sandwich in Jinyoung's tray."   
  
He takes the pack and waves it in front of him.   
  
"Can I eat these?"  
   
  
   
  
   
  
“—and he even said  _“You don’t belong here. I suggest you start looking for a new department.”_   I mean, what the hell is he so rude for? Who is he to tell students that— _Hey_ , Jaehwan, you okay?” Seongwoo stops ranting to look at his best friend sitting beside him in this empty lecture hall. It’s 10 minutes past two and all their classes are done for the day.  
  
Jaehwan doesn’t answer so Seongwoo takes it as a sign to continue. “Teachers should really start considering out feelings because we came here to learn, not get humilinated by some fucking prick—dude, are you sure you’re okay?”  
  
  
“No. I’m dying,” Jaehwan only had a sour look on his face as he discreetly puts his hand over stomach, afraid that he might put Seongwoo into a panic mode for something that will probably pass if he waits for another minute. He’s been feeling this weird grumbling in his stomach for hours now and the pain just wouldn’t go away even after going on a trip to the restroom. His music engineering professor even had to ask him to go to the clinic but as stubborn as he is, he reassured that he’s not in pain anymore and that he’s more okay now.  
  
For Jaehwan, a trip to the clinic is a waste of time since it is situation on the other side of the campus, meaning, he had to walk for a maximum of 10 minutes just to get there. He already disregarded the thought because as a struggling student who can’t even pass the fundamental classes, he doesn’t have the luxury to skip classes even if he really wants to.  
  
“ _Good_. Now back to what I’m saying earlier, Professor Cha is a huge asshole who needs to stop being a dick to students because he’s the main reason why I fucking hate my Dramatic Writing Classes and he's fucking blaming me for failing my—shit, Jaehwan, are you really okay?”  
  
“M-My stomach hurts s-so much,” This time, Jaehwan can no longer keep it as he curled in his seat, his hands instinctively wrapping itself around his stomach in an attempt to lessen the pain. Seongwoo stands up abruptly, pushing his chair with the back of knees from the process and hands flying everywhere because he’s now starting to panic.   
  
“What did you eat earlier? Jaehwan, you look so pale!” his best friend kneels down to look at him sweating and groaning in pain. Jaehwan couldn’t even reply as his every attempt in communicating only results to his stomach shooting a painful punch to him. “Oh, wait, is it that sandwich you ate from Jinyoung? You said it looks moldy but you still ate it?”  
  
“I thought its color was originally like that.”   
  
_Fuck_.  
  
He groans, both at the pain and his stupidity for _fucking_ eating the bad sandwich earlier. More cursing is coming out of Seongwoo’s mouth and his vision’s suddenly blurring. The last thing he sees is the spiraling whiteboard in front of him with the lesson he just learned earlier written on it.  
  
  
  
   
  
The light from the flourescent lamp and the smell of disinfectants welcomed Jaehwan as soon as he opens his eyes. His vision zeroes in on the off-white curtain separating him from the other beds inside the white room. He hears commotion beside him and sees Seongwoo rummaging something in his bag.  
  
“ _Seongwoo_.”  
  
His friend looks up with a frown and soon changes it into a relieved smile as Jaehwan attempts to support his upper body with his elbows to look at him properly. “Thank heavens you’re awake! You almost broke my back because you’re heavy!”   
  
_That just means he carried me from the music building to the clinic. Fantastic._  
  
“I didn’t want to call your parents and tell them that you collapsed after eating a bad sandwich so you don’t need to worry.”  
  
“ _Hmm_. Thank you. At least you saved me from another earful from them. Thank you, really,” Jaehwan groans and rests his back on the wall.   
  
“No problem. And I still can’t believe you did eat the moldy sandwich. I would’ve insulted you right now but you’re obviously not feeling well so I’m saving it till you feel well,” Seongwoo shakes his head in disapproval before opening a water bottle and putting it on the table.   
  
“Considerate as always. Thank you," he grabs the bottle and took a sip.   
  
“The doctor said you should spend the entire afternoon here. Just sleep, who cares about your special consultation with Professor Kim,” Jaehwan visibly smacked his head when he's reminded of the said consultation with his composition professor. “Oh, and I have a meeting in about 10 minutes. Is it okay if I leave you here for a while? I’ll be back in an hour."  
  
“Yes, yes, I’m okay. Don’t worry about me and go get that role, Seongwoo,” Jaehwan starts pushing Seongwoo away with a nonchalant smile.   
  
"Okay, I'll try my best and Jaehwan, try not to snore and talk in your sleep, okay? Let’s not embarrass ourselves, huh, Kim Jaehwan?”  
  
“Just go,” he rolls his eyes and watches Seongwoo's retreating back exiting the clinic.   
  
He can't believe he fainted earlier and missed the only consultation day he successfully scheduled with his professor. He should be in the classroom and ask for opinions about his composition but he's instead in the clinic trying not to disturb the doctor or nurse or whoever's inside with him who was on the other side of the room, covered by his curtains.   
  
When he's about to lie down again, probably to sleep, he notices the curtains being shoved to the side and the attending doctor comes in with a clipboard in one hand.  
  
“Kim Jaehwan- _ssi_?”   
  
_Wait, does my name sound that beautiful?_  
  
“Hello, I’m Hwang Minhyun. I’m still a medicine student here but would you mind if I take care of you today?”  
  
“W-what do you—”  
  
“Erm no, I mean, Dr. Shin is in a meeting and asked me to take care of the clinic for him while he’s away,” Minhyun corrected with a soft smile and Jaehwan swears he felt his heart wilding inside his ribcage. “How are you feeling?”  
  
He watches Minhyun walk closer to him, wearing a white gown over his cream blue oxford shirt and black dress pants, adored with the stethoscope wrapped around the nape of his neck. He stops when he's right beside Jaehwan and flashes him a smile.  
  
“Pretty good, I guess? My stomach still hurts but it’s not that bad compared to earlier,” Jaehwan answers as he slowly lay down the bed, trying to subtly look away from Minhyun because he knows he looks shit after fainting and staying in bed for an hour now.  
  
Minhyun nods and writes something on the clipboard. “That’s good to hear. Your stomach is pretty sensitive so please be careful next time, Jaehwan- _ssi_. I still have to monitor you so please just take plenty of rest and I’ll take care of your remaining appointments."   
  
Apparently, Seongwoo informed Minhyun about his consultation today and had asked the latter to inform the department about the case so Jaehwan will have another chance to schedule for it.   
  
"Kim Jaehwan from the Applied Music Department, right?”  
  
"Ah, yes."  
  
“I already told your department about your situation and they said they’re going to tell Professor Kim that you can’t attend your consultation today so don't worry about it. I can give you a medical certificate if he asks for proof if you want..?" The fox-eyed student offers, his soft smile never leaving his flawless face.   
  
“Thank you," Jaehwan smiled. “ _You look good.”_ _  
_  
“Excuse me?”  
  
_Seriously, Kim Jaehwan?_

He really feels like he should install a brain to mouth filter right now because he's sure he just embarrassed himself in front of the guy he likes. He visibly flinches and stuttered an excuse. "You look g-good in your white coat. I mean, you look…like a…doctor."  
  
Minhyun giggled. He _fucking_ giggled. “I am studying to become a doctor, so maybe that’s why."  
  
“Have you....have always worked in the clinic? I’ve never seen you here last month when my friend broke an elbow,” he manages to ask and patted himself on the back for being able to talk without stuttering too much like what he imagined.  
  
_Kim Jaehwan isn't that much of a pussy when it comes to Hwang Minhyun._ He thinks.  
  
“I just started here last week. I don’t really work here, just volunteering occasionally when my seniors need my help in filling in their vacant spots. But don’t worry, even though I’m still a student, I know exactly what I’m doing,” Jaehwan feels his cheeks burning when Minhyun picks up the blanket and put it on him. It was just a simple action of a doctor making his patient comfortable but holy cheeseballs, it surely made Jaehwan screaming in his head.  
  
Jaehwan is doing well in keeping his cool in front of him and he couldn't even get prouder than the is right now because he didn't embarrass himself that much on their first ever time interacting.  
  
“You look like you need some more sleep. I’m going to leave you here to rest so just call me when you’re feeling something weird in your stomach again, okay, Jaehwan- _ssi_?”  
  
"Jaehwan. Just call me Jaehwan."  
  
“Okay, sleep well, _Jaehwan_."  
  
Jaehwan surely thinks his name sounds the most beautiful when it's Minhyun saying it.   
  
  
 

  
Jaehwan is roaming around the quadrangle, watching all the busy students in setting up their booths or stages for the upcoming university festival. It's an annual event when students get to do all these types of things, from sports events, science fairs, building their own amusement park, horror booths, to selling the university's memorabilia, for a whole week.  
  
It's basically a week off for the students, which makes it all the more exciting than it really is. Being someone who likes this kind of event, Jaehwan is looking for a potential booth he can hang around in with his friends. He sees the students from the culinary department setting up their own food stalls and he mentally notes them.  
  
He watches the varsity teams roaming around with their own banners containing all the information about their special games and try-outs.   
  
" _Yo_ , Kim Jaehwan, I'll you see at the try-outs!" A senior from his department once exclaimed when he walked past the tennis team. He is quick to decline because he knows he's not fit to be in any sports team.  
  
Politely bowing to his senior and walking away from the tennis team, he feels a shoulder bumping into him.  
  
“I know I should’ve asked for your permission first but I already signed your name in the annual school busking event, hyung,” he watches Daehwi smiling at him.  
  
“It’s okay. I’m joining it anyway,” he shrugs and they walk side by side. Daehwi and some of his classmates joined the annual busking event last year and the response from the students were so overwhelming so they decided to join again this year to showcase the charm they haven’t shown to them yet.

Jaehwan is the vocalist of the band he formed with his classmates during the first semester of their freshman year. They don’t really have any official gigs since they only perform whenever they feel like it.  
  
Daehwi smiles, his hands holding the thick papers Jaehwan thinks are for the whole event. “Good. And I also signed you up in this auction event where people will pay us heaps of money just to date you. The date will only last for at least 4 hours but no need to worry your crusty ass since I know your date’s gonna give up in the first thirty minutes.”

The younger chuckled and added, “If someone’s willing to pay a penny for you, that is.”

Lee Daehwi, a freshman who already has a position in the council because of his outstanding skills that are way beyond his batchmates, is sometimes a pain in the butt because of how unpredictable the younger boy is. He was the same Daehwi Jinyoung wouldn’t stop gushing about since last month and Jaehwan, being the only mature member of his mini group of friends, decided to befriend the genius for the sake of Jinyoung.

Daehwi can be very adorable and full of positivity, but he can be the devil itself as sometimes he likes to put the older into tough situations. So when Jaehwan heard about him putting his name in this _ridiculous_ event, he can’t help but feel horrified.  
  
“You _what_?” Jaehwan abruptly stops walking.  
  
"I said, I signed you up in my event where you're getting auctioned by people and--"  
  
"Daehwi, what the hell?!"  
  
Daehwi hold up his hands in defense and starts laughing. “Jeez, I’m just fooling around, no need to get so worked up, hyung.”  
  
Jaehwan frowns and both start walking again. “You nearly gave me a heart attack! Now, Daehwi, let’s not broadcast to the world that no one wants to date me through that auction bullshit.”  
  
“Hey, don’t call my event bullshit! For your information, a lot of big names signed up for this! We have Yoon Jeonghan sunbaenim from my department, Kim Samuel from the Department of Performing Arts, Cha Hakyeon sunbaenim from Department of Literature and oh, Kim Jongin sunbaen—”  
  
“Wha—Kim Jongin? Holy shit that’s grand,” Jaehwan gaped at the profile of the said participants from Daehwi’s portfolio. The auction event really is not an ordinary one since big names are going to join it. The auction event is actually one of the most anticipated activity for the whole week and when the former organizer passed the responsibility to Daehwi, Jaehwan actually thought it wouldn’t be that grand like last year but boy was he so wrong.

Jaehwan learns to never underestimate Daehwi’s power.  
  
“I know right? You should be proud of me because I managed to get these gods from joining my event,” Daehwi smiled proudly.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Congrats. Just don’t ever, ever joked about me joining that event,” Daehwi only smiled as a response. Both continued walking until they reached the other quadrangle where the other departments are setting up for other booths. The quadrangle is mostly occupied by the med students and arts major.

He feels a nudge on his left arm and hears Daehwi whispering, “Your lover boy is here.”  
  
Jaehwan looks to his right, to where Daehwi is staring, and immediately catches Minhyun standing in front of a bunch of nursing students, judging from their uniform, while giving out instructions. Minhyun’s proabably in-charged for their booth, he guesses.

“Sunbaenim is working hard for their event. You should say hi and wish him good luck," the younger starts walking towards Minhyun and Jaehwan slowly followed.  
  
"No, thanks. I don't want to look like a hobo in front of him and his friends and embarrass myself.”  
  
"Hyung, you always look like a hobo so what's the difference of doing it now and next time?"   
  
Seriously, Jaehwan wonders why Jinyoung likes this sharp-tongued boy. "You know what? I hope your event fails. I'm so tired of my hoobaes treating me like shit. Don't you have anything good to say to me? You and Jinyoung are so—"  
  
"Hello, Jaehwan- _ssi_.” It’s probably too late for Jaehwan to run away and act like noting happened because Minhyun is now on his way to where he and Daehwi are standing. The youngest glances between the two of them, wondering about why he didn’t hear anything about Minhyun and Jaehwan knowing each other. “Sorry, I meant to say _Jaehwan_.”

Daehwi probably senses how shocked Jaehwan is so he raised his hands and caught the his sunbae’s attention. "Minhyun hyung! How are you? Have you thought about my offer to you? I'm now finalizing the list of participants so I need an answer right now," he glances at Jaehwan to answer is unasked question. "Oh, I invited Minhyun hyung to my auction event and he still hasnt given me an answer,"   
  
"I...It really depends on the situation, Daehwi. I have an event on that day too, so I have to finalize my schedule. Also, can I talk to you in your office about the whole thing? I want to know something really important," Minhyun glances at Jaehwan at the end and flashes him a smile.

“Sure, hyung. You can

“Uh, hi,” Jaehwan bows.

“It’s nice to see you again, Jaehwan, How’s your stomach?”

“It’s fine. I’m perfectly fine. I did what you told me and took meds. You’re really going to be a good doctor, Minhyun- _ssi_ ,” he sincerely thanks before bowing again.

“Minhyun. Just call me Minhyun,” Jaehwan wonders how the beautiful person in front of him isn’t complaining about smiling that much since earlier. But if it’s directed at him then he wouldn’t Minhyun smiling at him like this.  
“I mean, you asked me to call you with your first name so I’m doing the same,” Minhyun scratches the back of his head, and Jaehwan tries hard not to shake from how adorable he looks in his eyes.

“I-It’s okay, Minhyun. And thanks again, I’d probably still be on my bed if it weren’t for you,” _Oh my god, why am I blushing? Jaehwan, get a hold of yourself and stop looking like an overripe tomato!_

Both of them heard someone clearing their throat and notices Daehwi waving hands to where Minhyun’s hoobaes and classmates are. They are signaling MInhyun to come back since a problem from their list appeared. Minhyun nods his head to them and looks back to Jaehwan and Daehwi.

“I think I need to go now. It’s nice to meet you again Daehwi, Jaehwan. See you next time!” And with that, the med student rushes to where their booth is, leaving Jaehwan under Daehwi’s malicious look.

Jaehwan hasn’t told Seongwoo about how he managed to talk to Minhyun two days ago without embarrassing himself and stuttering because he knows the latter’s not going to stop asking him about the details. Not that something really happened, but he prefers it to be a little secret for the meantime.

“ _What_?” Jaehwan asks and starts walking away. Daehwi continues giving him the look until he

"Wow, why do I feel like Minhyun hyung's going to join my event? Jesus, I can't believe I got almost all the popular lads to join my event!" The younger exclaims, making Jaehwan considering the wild idea too.  
  
"Holy shit, what if Minhyun's really going to join?" he asks himself.  
  
"I guess you should start borrowing money right now because getting Minhyun hyung will be a challenge,” he isn’t even looking at Daehwi but he knows he has a smirk on his face.

But he’s right, if Minhyun’s really going to participate in his auction event, then maybe it really is the right time for Jaehwan to start saving up so he could score a date with the one and only Hwang Minhyun.

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

you can also talk to me on my cc: [officialdaehwi](https://curiouscat.me/officialdaehwi) 

see you there!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for awhile. My brain's pretty dead for the last few months and even though ideas are flowing, I just can't seem to find the motivation to write it down. But anyways, it's finally here and sorry to have you waiting for this. Also, this is unedited so I apologize for any grammar and spelling mistakes you encountered.

**Author's Note:**

> what do you think? im pretty nervous about writing a minhwan fic hjddjd
> 
> please tell me what you think about it and leave kudos, comments, and bookmarks! anything is much appreciated! 
> 
> let's scream together on twitter: @official_daehwi


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